Street-cleaning machine



- frame or chassis" of a'motor vehicle pro Patented Dec. 7, 1926.

I 1 C ARLES: HQBIYIIITLEEAOFOAKLAND, oam roiama.

. sTREE'r- LEAMNG MACHINE i -Applicatipnffiled December 15,1924. Serial" 11017551 846 This invention relates to street cleaning machines, and more particularly to machlnes of thepneumaticor vacuum type. which are propelled along the streets fdIlClflWl'llCh, as

' they travel therealong, sweepup the refuse,

collect the dust and'li'ghter particles ofrefuse from the air, discharge the 'cleanse'dialr into. the atmosphere, and collect both the "heavy and light-refuse into receptacles or hoppers. Such a machine forms the subjectobj ect of this invention is to provide certain improvementsin such machines. 1 v

The improved features of the, machlne this speci cation and*illustratedain'the accom panying' drawing-Jamel wh1'le z n'isuch drawing 1 have shown certaln specific'em- 2 bodiments' of my invention, it should be understood that the drawing isnot tobe construed as definin'g'br limiting the scope of the inventiomythe' claims appended .tothis v 3 invention;

Fig.2 is a side elevation thereof on a smaller scale;- 1

f Fig; 8. is'adetail view-'of'the invention,

I taken approximately'on line 3+3 ofFig 1;

Fig.- 4 is a detail view-off the nventlon,

I =taken'approximately on line 4- .1: of Fig. 1;

; y "Figf5 is a fragmentary plan view ofthe rear, of the machine. I.

" Referring more specifically to; the; draw- *pelled by an-engine'Q. The street; cleaning 7 and refuse-receiving apparatus of the ma chine,v as shown in Fig; 1,.is mostly enclosed within the [housing .3 :drivers'seat'c 1 o Connected to. the rear end offthe frame,- 7 151, for flexible vertical movement thereon is" amhousing' 5 within which is rotatably rearwardlyof" the mounted; on-a shaft .6, a 'rotary-broom bearing blocks 8," adjustable vertically in the. housing by"meansvof :sc'rews' 9; The: jhousing' is supported on aipain of rear- A 'wardly-extending arms 10 flexibly or" pivot allyconne'cted to'the rear-of the framel, the

more casters 11:

. matter. of applicants former Patents, NuIn-f bers 808,006, 880,124, and 909,865,'and the comprisin this invention are described in positron.

I passageway, 14 tothe chamber lo.

into the receptacles 16, I

ing byreference characters, l--indifcates the of the passageway prevents mud and other ibyf-the arrows; I

The ends of the shaft 6- are mounted in rearendsoftlie arms preferably being con nected' Urshaped and supported by one or YT-he broom housing 5 has an enclosing.

portion 12 surroundingthe broom 7 ,and the frame 1 or housing 8 carries a portion 13 -adjacent-the broom and forming a dust-pan therefor.- Thispan IlClQS on the. pavement;

'forwardly of the ,bro'oin and. receives "the'65 refuse swept thereonto by the broom. The housing 5,together withthecasters1l, sup ports the broom-in sweeping contact with the road .directly' adjacent the refuse-receiving r I pan 13, andthe mounting of the broom .10

shaft 6 provides means forvertically adgust ng 'thejbroom 1tothe desired operating w li-exten'ds from the housing o upwardly-and forwardlytoa chamber 15, which; is adapted to' receive one or more A passageway :refuse-receiving cans 16; 'An endless con-f I .veyor 17 extendsfromthedust-pan, or from an extended platform, 18 thereof, up the veyor is carried on rollers mountedon shafts 1-9. It is obvious'that' in operation'the refuse g v v swept over the pan and onto the conveyor will be carriedup} the passageway lt'and r s5 Anair trunk or passageway 20 intersects 1 the passageway, 14: and extends upwardly I and rearwardly into affan-chamber 21, and

thence forwardly at 22. A coarse screen 23 is provided in this passageway for prevent .ingp'aper'sand such light-bulky material from passing intoj the fan-chamber.

damper 245 C is also, provided adjacent the a screen forclosing this passageway-when de slred, for: example, when operating on .wet

streets where'thereis'no dust, Such closing objectionable materialfrom entering thefanchamber. This"d'amper1can be operated from the drivers seat'through-a"connecting rod'-25.- A rotary {$311 26, mounted in [the ,ifanjgoham'benfl, fis adapteclto cause a draft of air-"to pass through the trunk, as indicatech 510561? "Woven doth W l allow the. ir topass outwardly through/ h meshes there? n This conee Q extend longitudinally 'through the tube chamber and are provided \vith transve'rselyextending bars 42 tliereon, between the ad jacen-trowsof tubes." Therodsare movably' of, but Whichivill retain the finest dust'withinthe tubes. Thetubes maybemounted in.

any desired manner. w

h Located beneath the tubes 27 is a dustreceiving hopper having one steep wan 30 and a (Io-operating wall 31f,;the forward I "portion-sot the hopper comprising -co'-operating Walls 32 andfl3 3j ice-l'lectsthe dust without permitting escape thereof the dust being removable from the hopp'erat' intervals by opening these gates.

v [in endless "scraper- 38;; provided with trans-l wisely-extending scraping blades 39 and an outside operating handle 40,15 provided g'ior scraping the dust down the Wall 31 to- 72g ward'the gate 34. 1 Ass-"shown in'Fig. -3,- the A's illustratedin Figrl; a pairof rods 41 "supported by links 43 Within. the tube chambenT he forxvard ends of the rods extend [through the front Wall of the'housing 1 "and 1 are" provided with: an operating "handle 41 lthereon adj acent the drivers seat. The

' construction is' suchthat the driver can grasp the handle 44- and V'ra'p'idly reciprofeate the rods; longitudinally in a. manner to shake the -tubes and cause the cl nging dust to drop therefrom" into the hopper.

i '1; lie -heretofore statedfthe vehicle is :pro-

pelled from the engine 2. The broom 7,

' c enve'yorl'i and fade are also operated f from the engine; Ashaft 451s drlven from "theengine'shaft through a chain 46. This is'connected' by a clutcht'i and suit- 7 Ylllg COllllQCt-lQIlS to asprocket gear on th left-hand side ofthema'c'hlne.

A-n'endl'e"-s sprocket chaindfl extends about l et'gearslS, 50, 51; and 52. A pulley connected to: the sprocket 51 V by a roll shaft; 19; w a

eaiev aa e -,the peretta ram Dustr'einoving gates I 34 and are respectively provided in the lower portions ofthewvalls30 and -33,'and means, such as illustrated, canbe provided for opening these gates. A r otary scraper having scraping blades 36 and an outside operating handle 37,- is provided for scrapthe' dust down thei'wall 32 towardrthe gate135. -The provision of the gates 34: and i provides'a normally closed hopper which 'e'c'ted to the s rec1 ee50 by'a belt 54, p pulley 5'5 on'the broom shaft 6; A

pulley V elt' 57, drivesa pulley 581011 the fan-shaft I sprocket 521s secured'tothe upper rows. A's shoWnin 2, the'entire driv .ing' connections from the engine tO'ithQSG parts are located on the left-hand side of the machinewhich in this countr is I ordinarily the side away "from the 1 curb.

The advantage of such an arrangement or" 5 {the drive is obviously to permitloperating 5 any possibility of the driving i1ieehan.isni; interfering;therewith. The operation of V .i this mechanism' is controlled from" the g the machine;- i close up, to the curb 1 Without drivers seatf'through the clutoh'? z; The refuse swept up by the bro-onl is carried'to the receptac-lelti by theconveyor Y 17; V The 'dustaand" light. refuse are drawn 1 upwardithrough the trunk 2.0 and deposited within the tubesi28 as Will be understood. The "screen 23 preventsbulky material from enteringtl'le fan chamber; the damper- 24i can be closed fromlthe dri-vers 'seat f'when V the condition o't'the'road demands, thefldust, "clinging to the tubes can be shaken into the fhopper' beneath by :the operator gripping the handle 44, the hopper 'canbe cleaned by rotating the scrapingh'andles '37 and" 40,

and' 'the T refuse "can be removed frointhe hopper through'thesgates 134- and 35; i i

It should be particularly noted that the construction of the machine is 'suchzthat" the entire refuse picked up thereby is} deposited in the receptacles le'iinY-the chamber-515;

The heavy refuse is carried'directly totliis-1 is over the'chamberfiso thatpvvhenthis gate 7' is. opened the light collected materialinn the chamber'by the conveyor '17. The gate 35 forward end of the hopper dropsfdirectly into this chamber; The gate 34 is? over the i V- V conveyor 17, so that When this gate is opened the light collected material in vthe rear end the material from chamber.

'castersll are locatedon the frame or housof the hopper drops" onto-"the conveyorand; 1 is carried up-wardly to' the chamb'en- Itvvill r be understood that during this'latter" operation the damper 24 is closed to prevent again entering the fan- It; should furthermore be noted that l the 1 gutter Without interference by the? casters, i

and furthermore; the fca'stersnever collide with obstruct ons when turnlng corners; as. would be thecase were they located 'at-the cornersforj on tlie outside-of the frame 5 a fliousingytliereon, a 'idrivefis seat on; the

Having thus 1 described my invention, what l-elaimanrl' desire to secure by Letters-Pat V Gent-is p and thej advantages "ofi our im-" p eved=ieaturestherein=will be "obvious H iitvithout 'iiurther"description; Brieflyfhovv j' f ever-[the operationf is "as vfollows:-As the i 5 v vehicle is; driven along in v the street cleaning.

,e V :51." A street cleaning machine" comprising V 1. the combinat on of a-vehicle iram'ezhaving H LII upwardly and forwardly in a passageway formed in the housing, a receiving chamber for the material lifted by the conveyor, an air trunk intersecting the'conveyor passageway, a rotary fan inthe air trunk for pro,-

viding a draft therethrough from the pas.-,

sageway, said trunk extending upwardly and forwardly. of the vehicle, settling tubes in the air trunk, afdamper the trunk be' tween the fan andpassageway, and means operative from the seat for adjusting the damper. v V

' 2. A street cleaning machine co-mprlslng the combinationof a vehicle frame having:

a housing thereoma rotarysweeping broom carried thereby, an endless'conveyor' extend mgupwardly and forwardly 1n a passagehaving an inclined bottom beneath the tubes, I

a gate at the lower end of the inclined bot.-

tom for removing the collected materiai e from the hopper,and movable means in the hopper, operative from the outside thereof, for scraping the material along the said bottom toward the gate.

3. A street cleaning machine comprising the combination of a vehicle frame having. a

housing thereon, a refuse-receiving chamber on the frame, a rotary sweepmg broom connected with the frame, an endless conveyor extending upwardly and forwardly therei from in the passageway formed in the housing and adapted to carry the swept mate-' rial to the chamber, an air trunk intersectmg the passageway. settling tubes connected with the air trunk, means for forcing a draft I 'ofair through the trunk from the passage- "way toward the tubes, a hopper beneath the tubes, agate in the hopperover the conveyor and openable to permit the collected mate .rial in the hopper to drop onto the 'conand means for opening; andiclosing veyor the gate. v

4, A street cleaningmachine comprising the combination of a vehicle frame having a housing thereon, a refuse-receiving chamber on the frame, a rotary sweeping broom connected with the frame, an endless conveyor extending upwardly and forwardly there from ma passageway formed 1n the housing and adapted to carry the swept material to the chamber, an air trunk intersecting the passageway, settling tubes connected with the air-trunk, means for forcing a draft of air through thetrunk from the passageway toward the tubes, a hopper beneatlrthe tuhes,',twogates in the hopper, one gate being over the said chamber, and the other gate being over the conveyor, the two gates being openable to permit the collected'material to drop into the chamber and onto the conveyor respectively, andmeansfor opening and closing the gates.

' CHARLES BUTLER. 

